He quickly took the early advantage in the tie-break and when he stroked a brilliant forehand down the line to take the set, there was a rare outburst of emotion

Federer sensed he had inflicted a mortal blow on his inexperienced opponent and he then quickly raced to a 4-0 lead in the third before closing it out in 35 minutes.

Raonic, who almost moved to Australia as a young child but instead his parents opted for Canada, has been a massive mover on the men's tour over the past two years.

It all started at Melbourne Park in 2011 where as a qualifier he reached the fourth round where he lost to David Ferrer. Last year he made the third round where he was beaten by Australia's Lleyton Hewitt.

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Comments on this story

Bob Viney of Tweed Heads Posted at 9:59 AM January 22, 2013

tony of Adelaide, you're a bloody idiot!...the only way Federer can be "put out to pasture" is to be beaten...if you're bored watching professionals at their peak, I suggest you gather some B-grade friends and have a social game.

Pete Tennis of Brisbane Posted at 9:56 AM January 22, 2013

@ Tony of Adelaide - why do you keep commenting negatively on Tennis when you apparently don't like it? Every day its something new. If you don't like it, don't watch it and fill your life with something else. Federer is still one of the best players in the world - on what grounds should he quit?

Jay Posted at 9:55 AM January 22, 2013

Federer is absolutely fantastic and has undone all of the damage that MacEnroe did to the game of tennis.

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